{"id":228649,"date":"2022-12-23T12:57:16","date_gmt":"2022-12-23T10:57:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/uacrisis.org\/?p=228649"},"modified":"2022-12-23T12:57:19","modified_gmt":"2022-12-23T10:57:19","slug":"how-russia-stole-christmas-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/uacrisis.org\/en\/how-russia-stole-christmas-2","title":{"rendered":"How Russia stole Christmas"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

While the Russian empire struggled with the very existence of the Ukrainian language and folk customs, the USSR chose another way – their integration into the Soviet context and further marginalization. Such a strategy was applied to dictionaries of the Ukrainian languages, when whole layers of lexicon were marked as \u201crarely used\u201d or \u201cdialect\u201d and therefore replaced with Russian equivalents. The consequences of such language and cultural policy are still used by modern Russia (which is a successor to the USSR) sharing narratives about Ukraine as a country without its own culture, with a language, which is \u201calmost identical\u201d to Russian. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

From its earliest days, communist ideology in the USSR has seen religion as a competitor. The struggle with \u201creligious prejudices\u201d was established at the legislative level as part of a campaign to enlighten the masses. In Ukraine, religious holidays intertwine Christian traditions with folk customs including pagan elements \u2013 and that is why Soviet authorities started its massive \u201canti-Christmas\u201d campaign. Christmas trees were the ones to suffer the first blow, being condemned as \u201cbourgeois remnants\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"\/<\/a>
Ukrainian Christmas<\/em>. Source: galinfo.com.ua<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Then, it was the turn of Christmas carolers dressed up as vertep<\/em> characters (typically including three kings, shepherds, Herod, different animals, etc.) who were displaying the nativity scene in Ukrainian homes during the Christmas season. Normally, they were singing koliadky – Ukrainian Christmas carols, showing respect to the master and mistress of the house, wishing them good harvest and prosperity, and combining both Christian and pagan motives: referring to archaic myths of the creation of the universe and glorifying the birth of Jesus Christ.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After banning folk tradition, however, the communist party came up with creating a new one \u2013 and this is how the construct of the Soviet New Year was born. Mass festivities and demonstrations were an effective method of uniting people around communist ideas \u2013 and, as a result, this provoked a bizarre phenomenon of \u201cKomsomol Christmas\u201d. The tradition of caroling was too hard to eliminate so it was transformed \u201cin a Soviet way\u201d. Instead of addressing the master and mistress of the house and wishing them wealth and prosperity (which could be interpreted as a pro-capitalist motive), the so-called \u201cred koliadky\u201d were addressing free proletarians and celebrating the birth of the \u201cnew [communist] world\u201d. The glorification of Jesus Christ and the Mother of God turned into the glorification of communist leaders \u2013 Lenin and Stalin. The absurdness of such plot twists can be tracked in the so-called \u201cred songbooks\u201d, where numerous examples can be found. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For example, here is the text of one of the most famous Ukrainian koliadka, \u201cGood evening to your, dear host<\/a>\u201d:

Good evening to you, <\/em>dear host<\/em><\/strong>, rejoice!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rejoice, the world, the <\/em>Son of God<\/em><\/strong> is born!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lay out the tables and everywhere with carpets, rejoice!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rejoice, the world, the Son of God is born!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Do bake the cakes with the new spring wheat, rejoice!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rejoice, the world, the Son of God is born!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

For shall there come onto you,<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

et three feasts as guests, rejoice!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rejoice, the world, the Son of God is born!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

And what is this \u201cirst feast, but the birth of Christ, rejoice!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00a0Rejoice, the world, the Son of God is born!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

And what is the second feast, but of Saint Basil, rejoice!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rejoice, the world, the Son of God is born!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

And yet there’s the third feast of Holy Baptism, rejoice!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rejoice, the world, the Son of God is born!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

And what of this \u201cirst feast, will send you great joy, rejoice!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rejoice, the world, the Son of God is born!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

And what of the second feast,<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

will send you good fortune, rejoice!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rejoice, the world, the Son of God is born!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the Soviet version, the address to the master of the house was replaced<\/a> with \u201cfree proletarian\u201d and the birth of Jesus Christ – with the birth of a \u201cnew world\u201d:<\/p>\n\n\n\n


Good evening to you, <\/em>free proletarian<\/em><\/strong>, rejoice!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rejoice, the earth,<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A <\/em>new world<\/em><\/strong> is born.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The names of Ukrainian holidays: the birth of Christ, the feast of Saint Basil, and the feast of Holy Baptism were also replaced with \u201cthe first uprising\u201d, <\/em>May Day, and the holiday of the \u201cRed October, when the bonds fell, When the shackles fell, the Soviets came!\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

And here is another well-known carol, \u201cA new joy has been revealed<\/a>\u201d:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A new <\/em>joy<\/em><\/strong> has been revealed, that never has been before:\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Above the manger there’s a bright star shining throughout the whole world. \u200b<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Where Christ has been born, from the Virgin he is born. Like a man with shroud humbly swaddled. \u200b<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The shepherds with their lambs before that child Falling down upon their knees,<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

the King and God they praise. \u200b<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Angels are singing, glorifying and honouring. As in heaven, so on earth, peace they preach. And we also sing. Glorifying Christ.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Its text was also significantly transformed<\/a>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A new <\/em>soviet <\/em><\/strong>has been revealed, that never has been before:\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Above the earth, a bright star shining throughout the whole world. \u200b<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The dawn is ours, the dawn, the <\/em>red dawn<\/em><\/strong>,<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

With a word, you warm the heart, you overcome the darkness everywhere.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Oh, and over the cities with <\/em>red flags<\/em><\/strong>,<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Shine on them beautifully, our red dawn!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The symbolism of the first star as a sign of Christ\u2019s birth was replaced by the symbolism of a five-pointed red star – and that was how Christmas turned red. The Christmas tree was also reborn – but with a completely different mood: with Soviet Christmas decorations, depicting hammers, sickles, Stalin, and Lenin. Switching from a \u201cbourgeois\u201d Christmas to a \u201cproletarian\u201d New Year involved a transformation of public consciousness and the full rejection of both folk and religious traditions. However, in its struggle to destroy religiousness, the Soviet Union caught itself in its own trap, using the same religious methods, such as public manifestations, ritualism, and creating relics. Being rooted in long historical tradition, Ukrainian vertep, Christmas carols, and family tradition resisted – and the majority of Soviet \u201cexperiments\u201d remained in the past – and so did the Soviet propaganda.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

While the Russian empire struggled with the very existence of the Ukrainian language and folk customs, the USSR chose another way – their integration into the Soviet context and further marginalization. Such a strategy was applied to dictionaries of the Ukrainian languages, when whole layers of lexicon were marked as \u201crarely used\u201d or \u201cdialect\u201d and […] More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":28,"featured_media":228704,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[690,700,748],"tags":[33518,32430,6242],"section":[726],"form":[31943],"yoast_head":"\nHow Russia stole Christmas | UACRISIS.ORG<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"While the Russian empire struggled with the very existence of the Ukrainian language and folk customs, the USSR chose another way - their integration into | Uacrisis.org\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/uacrisis.org\/en\/how-russia-stole-christmas-2\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How Russia stole Christmas | UACRISIS.ORG\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"While the Russian empire struggled with the very existence of the Ukrainian language and folk customs, the USSR chose another way - 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